The Unwelcome Guest

It must be 8 weeks now. Back when the Thanksgiving meal was still settling into my belly and the prospect of Christmas was keeping me awake at night. I got a cold. It was nothing, a non-cold, a couple of days inconvenience and then back to the business of life. But this cold left with me a visitor. A little tickle in the throat and a small wheeze in my chest that has kept me company ever since.

Each week I watch the light get just a bit brighter, the shadows changing from main event to supporting members and think, this week my cough, this constant ahem in my throat will fade away and the mornings will become moments of silence once again. No more clearing my throat, no more blowing my nose, no more hack and snarf. No more buying kleenex in bulk, no more sneezing three times in a row. This is not fun or entertainment or occupation. Well- perhaps occupation of another sort- my body has been occupied by an invader- unwelcome guest.

The strategies to oust the interloper have included humidifiers, more exercise, less exercise, no dairy, no wheat, singing, no singing, more sleep, more water, less caffeine, more yoga. Going to the doctor is at best annoying. They can't FIX this any more than I can. Try this. Try that. I don't want to try anything. I want it to just GO! It's only a cough! But it remains like the piece of ice that sits on a rock out on the river. Only when the Spring comes with its rush of warm air, will that ice finally melt.